Long Enough
by myrhymesarepurer
Summary: Brotherhood, Post-Promised Day / If you were one of his closest of confidants, Havoc would explain that Rebecca Catalina would be the woman to lead him to the rose beds and swing sets, family-owned convenience stores. She was his white-picket fence. But, Rebecca Catalina deserved someone less...scared. / Havolina, Royai, T
1. Part I

_Leave a "_ _ **Fight Me**_ _" in my ask, and I will write a drabble out one character fighting with/or against another._ This one came from waddiwasiwitch on tumblr. She ask to make it Havolina. **I have never in my entire life written Havolina.** But, I tried my best to do these lovely characters justice. **And, I accidently added some Royai because I can't control that.** This also somehow turned. . . . angsty? Oh boy.

* * *

"This is the notice of the approved shuttle system for the Ishval Headquarters,"  
Captain Hawkeye handed her General a _single sheet_ ,  
in need of only _one_ signature.

Roy reached for his fountain pen,  
Riza snatched the pen right back.

"Read it _,_ Sir."

The General grumbled under his breath,  
gave her a glare while she stood over him,  
like a damn babysitter.

He was a General for goodness sake.  
Why did he have to read _everything._

"It's _one. sheet_. General."  
Riza said straight.

Roy huffed, brought the paper to his nose,  
squinted and scanned the words,  
muttering under his breath.

It had been the longest three hours in the history of all time  
in all worlds in all universes for absolutely no reason.

Havoc lifted his head, cracked his neck, and checked the clock like four times,  
then surveyed the room twice as if there was really something to see.

He saw the General buried in his reading, tilting it up  
toward the window so subtly, trying to catch more sunlight,

There was plenty of sunlight behind him.

Havoc caught Hawkeye shift  
uneasy, unsteady, while Roy read.

It was possible the General was tired,  
His eyes might have been dry or watery,  
the paper too white, the sun too bright.

But, Jean accidently caught Riza's eyes,  
and instantly knew they shared a fear just the same.

That the weird red magic mystic stone of ultimate cosmic power,  
Maybe that weird red stone didn't work.

Maybe the effect was only temporary.  
Maybe the bomb was ticking,  
and they were simply waiting for the fallout.

Havoc rolled his ankles, flexed his feet.  
It wasn't a pins and needles thing.

But, sometimes he just couldn't feel  
If his legs were even still there.

He _knew_ it was psychological,  
so calm down, would you?

There was nothing to be worried about.  
His legs were probably just asleep.

He'd been planted in that damn chair all week long,  
ever overworked, one of Mustang's dogs.

 _Here's your legs back, Havoc,_ _  
now sit down and do my paperwork._

That _bastard_ , he shook his head.  
If he wasn't such a gross, idealistic,  
self-sacrificing, secretly compassionate son of a bitch,

Havoc would leave.

Retire on a beach somewhere. Have a girlfriend for once.  
Rebecca Catalina might do. Perhaps he could convince her.

Hah.

Pipe dreams aside, he had to stay, because a secretly compassionate  
son of a bitch like that wouldn't last long without his men.

So he sat in a chair, like he had for months before,  
except now he had _working_ legs that _truly_ enjoyed  
tricking him into a panic, just for a good laugh.

Havoc steadied his breathing, _don't freak out._  
He curled his toes. He swung his legs.

They still worked.  
They still worked.

He sighed. Stupid big red magical mystical stone,  
Perhaps it had done its job.

He swung again, for good meas -"OW."  
Breda grimaced, seating across from him,  
"Why'd you kick me?"

"Sorry," Havoc pulled out a cigarette,  
Smoothly looking at the clock behind him,

Havoc was much more high strung than he let on,  
but cool, calm, collected excuses were his most prized talent.

"I thought you'd like to know that it's lunch time."

Breda dropped everything instantly  
and stretched, "Finally."

"Are we dismissed for the hour, Sir?"  
Fuery piped up, turning to the General.

Roy waved them away, grumpy,  
losing his place in the paragraph.

Sure it was one page, but the font was so small,  
It could have really honestly taken up five,  
okay, maybe three.

"Would you like me to read it to you, Sir?"

Hawkeye's voice sounded sharp and cold,  
but Havoc glanced her way and knew  
she was just frightened.

It was probably the one time he could  
ever get a clear reading on Riza Hawkeye.

"No thank you, Captain," the General said, then moved  
to start over at the beginning, just to spite his adjutant.

"You comin', Havoc?" Breda practically had already eaten half of his sandwich,  
salami hanging out of his mouth, bread crammed up in his cheeks,  
as he clutched the rest of his lunch in a brown paper bag.

Fuery was already flying out the door. He had to meet someone,  
he had mumbled on the way out. They all knew it was Sheska from the State library.

Sheesh. Fuery was paired up, Breda was seeing a brunette,  
as well as maintained his healthy relationship with carbs.

And, the General and the Captain were, well,  
they were _the General_ and _the Captain_.

As always, no evidence.  
Yet, tons of proof.

 _Great._

Not only was he paranoid that the all-powerful magic red stone of magic betrayed him,  
but he continued to stay true to his reputation  
as the least luckiest bachelor in Amestris.

Not just Central City, the entire country as a whole.  
since the beginning of time. He needed a smoke.

"I'll catch up with you," He said, cigarette already hanging out of his mouth.  
Bread nodded and left. Havoc curled his toes in his boots,  
flexed his feet under the desks.

They still worked, They always grew numb the more he thought about it,  
the more he panicked. Havoc rummaged through his desk for his lighter.

He found it. Snatched it. Struck it.

Instantly the flame blew out when the doors flew open.  
"Riza, yoohoo!" _Oh no_.

Rebecca Catalina opened the doors  
as if they would reveal a grand ballroom,

as always  
so much more dramatic than necessary.

There wasn't nearly any grand ballroom to reveal,  
it was just the weird ever present blob of sexual tension at the General's desk,  
and him, poised to light his cigarette, former flame centimeters from success.

"Don't those things kill you?"

Rebecca always had such a penchant for targeting him first,  
every time they found each other in the same room.

"Hm." Havoc struck the lighter, "Really?  
I've never heard that before."

With every other woman, he was shamefully desperate for romance.  
He _blushed_ and _gushed_ and bought flowers and booked dinners.

When Havoc got a new girl, he shouted it from the rooftops,  
proclaimed it to the world. He had a terrible habit.

He knew it was love.  
 _He just knew it._

Yet, he was also aware it was hasty, pathetic,  
But, he had a simple heart.

Love what he wanted most,  
if he was sincerely and truly honest.

Sappy but true.

But, with Rebecca Catalina. He never blushed nor gushed  
nor bought flowers nor booked dinners.

He never wanted to talk about any of that.

If you were one of his closest of confidants, perhaps Breda,  
maybe Riza, if she wasn't so close to the subject in question,

Havoc would explain that he knew from the beginning,  
Rebecca Catalina was his white-picket fence.

She was the woman that led to the rose beds and swing sets,  
family-owned convenience stores and outdoor patios to entertain.

Rebecca Catalina was that woman.  
and, that was the end of that.

"Riza," Rebecca actually _pointed_ at Havoc,  
blowing out a puff of smoke, feet propped up on the desk.

Hawkeye finally looked away from the General,  
finally finished with his _one_ sheet.

"Lieutenant," Riza sighed, weary, "Put it out."

"Sorry, Captain," Jean motioned to Rebecca,  
matching her signature dramatic vigor,

"The situation called for it."

"Havoc." Roy warned, studying another form closely,  
Jean rolled his feet, sighed, found his ashtray and snuffed it

Rebecca gave him a victorious smirk.  
Jean stuck his tongue out at her.

" _Child._ " Rebecca scoffed, and as much as he hated that impossibly condescending tone, Havoc could never blame her  
for eternally despising him.

Jean Havoc did not blush, did not gush,  
did not buy flowers, did not book dinners,  
not about Rebecca.

He had muscles that made girls swoon.  
He could handle anything Mustang's ridiculously  
absurd missions, undying beings and alike,  
he could survive them.

He was strong.  
But, Rebecca.

She deserved someone else.  
Someone less

 _scared._

His latest offense was the worst of it, the kicker.  
Havoc was paralyzed after the fight at Laboratory 3,

and that was _supremely_ lucky.  
He almost died. He could have died.

Havoc was practically dead  
when they reached him.

You think that would that would knock someone out of it,  
open their eyes to the joy and hope of life,

and give him the courage to go after  
his rose-bed, swing-set woman.

No dice.

Jean Havoc had almost died.  
He still didn't call her.

Rebecca Catalina had every right to hate him.

"Ready for lunch, Riza?" Rebecca's tone turned light and fluffy,  
flowery and sweet, seemingly forgetting about Jean and his muscles.

She unbuttoned her uniform jacket,  
revealing a tight green sweater.

Havoc rummaged through his desk, actively looking _away_ from said sweater ,  
aggressively searching for the lunch he didn't bring.

"Could you spare me a moment or two, Rebecca?"  
Riza sorted through the filing cabinets, no doubt, grabbing more forms  
for the General to squint at for hours at a time, just to spite her,

Just to scare her.

"Ugh," Rebecca gave an exasperated sigh, "You spend too much time working, Riza."  
The Captain chuckled, "or perhaps _you_ spend too _little_ time working."

Rebecca crossed her arms, cocked her head, and turned on her heel,  
"I'll be outside when you finally learn to live, Riza."

He wasn't going to lie. Havoc watched her leave,  
and choked on air while he did.

This, however, was completely routine, the usual,  
not surprising at all.

Rebecca Catalina was beautiful.  
Rebecca Catalina was smokin' hot.

Normal, routine, not surprising.

However, Riza Hawkeye catching him in the act,  
and then _commenting_ on the action, meddling,  
 _getting involved._

That.  
That was _astonishing._

"Are you going to ask Rebecca out to dinner, Havoc?"

It took him a second for those words to register,  
to really and truly believe, "What was that, Boss?"

Roy grew impatient for reasons unknown,  
sighed, dropped his pen, and rubbed his eyes,

"Are you going to ask her out or not, Havoc?"

Jean looked from Roy to Riza,  
Riza to Roy. What was going on?

The two _never_ showed any interest in his personal issues.  
In fact, they were all about _ignoring_ personal issues.  
What? Was he like in another universe?

"Why would I do that. She _hates_ me."

Riza gave a knowing hum,  
knowing that was utterly false.

Rebecca was wounded but waiting.  
Rebecca Catalina would never give up on Jean Havoc.

Rebecca Catalina would never _shut up_ about Jean Havoc.  
Perhaps that's why Riza had decided to speed up the inevitable,  
the General saw the opportunity for a break, and decided  
and join in on the action

"You've been dancing around her since the day  
we transferred to Central," Roy grumbled.

He never had much tolerance for people who refused to be  
with the one person they were _obviously_ and _obnoxiously_ in love with.

It was a very specific pet peeve.

Havoc simply opted for a grimace and a, " _Have not_."  
"Havoc, you do look at her like-"

Riza took too long searching for an alternative comparison,  
but Havoc was scrambling to change topics, shift the spotlight,

And, in turn, Riza's _initial_ choice of comparison  
flew straight out of Havoc's mouth.

"How Mustang looks at you, Captain?"  
" _Excuse me_?" Roy scoffed, high and mighty.

For the sake of her sleep schedule, disrupted by the painfully long  
phone calls with Rebecca about Lieutenant Havoc, unfortunately  
so much more frequent than usual now that he had returned to work,

Riza caved, blinked and said:  
"Yes, like how the General looks at me."

" _What the hell, Hawkeye_?" Roy cried.  
"Wow," Havoc blanched, then barked out a laugh.

Riza rolled her eyes. Roy sulked behind his coffee cup,  
grumpy, humiliated, _caught_. Havoc was still a bit stunned.

He should have recorded that.

He could have claimed the betting pool,  
He could have been rich.

"The point is, Havoc," Riza had no idea  
why she was still pushing, "You're an attractive man."

The General spit out his coffee all over the papers due at two.  
The Lieutenant nearly swallowed the fresh cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"Wow, This day is turning out to b-" "You think Havoc's at-"  
"Objectively," the Captain supplemented, stone cold,  
a most obvious threat at the edge of her voice.

Havoc still snickered. Roy played disgusted, surprised,  
rather than revealing his most telling fury over the notion.

"You're smart. You're a great shot," Roy rolled his eyes,  
 _Of course_ she would mention firearms. It wasn't Roy's fault  
guns weren't his specialty, " And, I know she'd say yes."

That was certainly an understatement.

Riza would be sure to take aspirin just to prepare  
for her friend's guaranteed post-invitation squealing fest

"You think she'd say yes?" Havoc feigned nonchalance.  
"I'm saying Havoc," Riza sighed, "It's been long enough."

Havoc kind of smiled at his friend, not the infamous, stoic Captain,  
but his most faithful ally. He grinned, watching her cringe over the fact  
that this _entire_ conversation was utter proof that she was going soft.

She knew what it was.

It wasn't only Rebecca's most recent rants  
and raves about the First Lieutenant.

It most certainly had been that the General had pulled her into a closet  
just the other day, and kissed her up against the wall,

"It's been long enough," he said to her.  
They never spoke about it again.

But, Riza was suddenly more of a hopeful romantic now  
than she had ever been in the past twenty some years put together.

Hopefully, it would go away quickly.

Havoc shoved the cigarette back in its box, pulled on his jacket  
and hesitated stepping toward the door.

He started to sit back down.

" _Go_ , Havoc," the General gritted his teeth,  
utterly finished with this most unfortunate conversation.

Havoc sighed. Perhaps Riza was right.  
Perhaps it had been long enough,  
ignoring it and dodging it.

It was finally the time to stop being so scared,

to go after his white picket fence,  
to go after Rebecca Catalina.

He left the Captain and the General behind,  
continually attempting to convince himself it was true.

 _It's been long enough._

"You used my line," Roy smirked at Riza, reminiscing about  
that other day when they broke that one silly rule,

 _It's not a silly rule, General. It's a very mandatory law._

Roy just kissed her, and she certainly kissed back,  
He smiled while he hovered, "It's been long enough."

"He needed to hear it."

The Captain turned her back  
and settled into her desk,

"I agree," he still grinned. She still ignored him.  
"It's been long enough for all of us."

* * *

 **There'a a part II. It's already up! Go go go!**


	2. Part II

**This got long. But, I kind of love it?**

* * *

The whole night blew up in Havoc's face,  
which was rather _unsurprising._

The least luckiest bachelor in all of Amestris, indeed.  
It was true. Why did he even ask at all?

He knew this would happen.

He was stupid.  
So so stupid.

He didn't deserve the picket fence.

He imagined he'd blame a cocktail of immense trust in Riza Hawkeye,  
therefore, a complete elimination of any chance of failure,  
and that stupid red magic mystic stone of ultimate cosmic power,

Havoc had done the whole ordeal, smooth as peanut butter.

He caught up to her, grabbed her elbow before she could get away once more,  
then Jean Havoc leaned against the wall and finally asked Rebecca Catalina

if she wanted to catch a flick tonight around 8.

The smile she gave him was something he could certainly  
blush and gush over, bright, sparkling, pink cheeks.

It was perfect.

The smile she gave him was the ultimate reward.  
The smile she gave him made him _miserable_

As he sat still on his couch in the dark, staring at the clock,  
quarter past eight, legs barely even there.

He couldn't feel them. He knew he couldn't stand.  
Perhaps he could, but, he knew wasn't strong enough  
to take the risk and even _attempt_ to try.

He had gotten used to that wheelchair.  
He had spent so much time,  
Sitting.

Yes, it was safer to stay as such,  
rather than to attempt to stand and utterly collapse.

Havoc sat there frozen until the moonlight turned to sunlight,  
Then, somehow, someway, he appeared in his desk chair  
the next morning, ungroomed, unshaven, unruly.

Riza stopped by Roy's desk to switch stacks,  
when he motioned her closer.

"Do you think the sex was really that mindbl-"

Riza slammed the new stack on his desk, restraining from  
smacking him upside the head, "Back to work."

Riza knew that was certainly not it.  
Riza wasn't even sure they had seen each other at all last night.

She received no update,  
no call from Rebecca.

Riza knew something was wrong.  
He had completed one report in three hours.

Something was so very wrong.

But, the Captain kept a straight face.  
She didn't ask. She let him coast for the day.

The lunch break came, Fuery left.  
Breda bolted. Havoc hadn't moved an inch.

Riza had let him coast too long.

She immediately regretted it, hated herself,  
when the storm hit hard, and Havoc had no one on his side.

The doors flew open.  
Havoc finally looked up,

 _knowing._

" _Jean Havoc_." Rebecca growled.

"You despicable disgusting, _useless scum_."

Roy and Riza looked straight to each other,  
Pure terror. Not even sure if her pistol and his gloves combined  
could take on the pure wrath that was Rebecca Catalina scorned,  
She hadn't even noticed, didn't even care that they were still in the room.

"Rebecca-," Havoc hid in his hands and pleaded.

"You stood me up." Rebecca's voice betrayed her,  
It shook, uncontrollable, "You didn't even _call_."

Havoc hid. He curled his toes,  
Felt his legs seep into paralysis.

" _Look at me_ , you idiot!"

Havoc did as she said,  
so weakly, red eyes.

Physical strength wouldn't help him now.  
Rebecca Catalina deserved someone much less

 _terrified._

"What gives you the right to-"

Then there was the outburst,  
He felt Lust's spear slice through his spine,  
and the blood and heard the Colonel screaming,

Then saw the hospital phone,

He stared at it night and day,

and he muttered her number  
Over and over  
and over  
again.

He never called

Havoc could barely feel his legs,  
But, he still shot to his feet.

"Dammit Rebecca, just _get out of here_."

"No," she impossibly persisted, Gritting her teeth,  
Not afraid to get into his face.

" _Tell me right now._ Why did yo-"

"My legs were numb!" He yelled, screamed,  
pleaded between his words that she leave  
and just leave forever while she was at it

On the other side of the room, Roy only raised an eyebrow, completely lost.  
But, Riza's breath stopped cold, heartbroken.

The General hadn't noticed, but he squinted ever since  
he got his sight back. She knew that fear.

"They were numb. They didn't _hurt,_ "

Rebecca bit back in a cold sort of way, quieter, sharper,  
reserved for the moments when she was in the most pain,

"They were just…' _numb_ '"

"Yes," Havoc said blankly, turned, and took shelter  
under his mask of casual rebellion. Under that mask,  
he could finally look the woman straight in the eye,

without constantly being reminded  
of what he was missing out on,

what he had missed out on  
for this long.

"So, I just don't think we should go out."

Rebecca's jaw dropped just so.  
Riza almost saw her lip quiver.

Rebecca knew that was the bottom line of all this.  
But, the twist of the knife, hearing Jean _say_ it,  
was so much more violent,  
vicious,

unbearable.

" _Why_ ," Rebecca's voice gave out,  
Havoc's eyes softened just so,

"Tell me the truth."

Havoc looked away from her, seeing the tears so close  
to flooding down her cheeks. He ran his hand through his hair,  
willing himself not to pull all of it out at once.

He somehow told her the truth,

"You should date a guy that, if he's going to stand you up-"  
"I deserve a guy that's going to stand me up-"  
Rebecca's cheeks turned red hot.

She was about to explode all over again,  
until Jean cut her off, raising a gentle hand.

"If he's going to stand you up, he should be able to actually _stand_."

That stone, of red and magic and ultimate cosmic power.  
Perhaps it didn't work. Perhaps it was only temporary.

Perhaps they were all fools.

Roy couldn't watch anymore, knowing that fear all too well.  
The Captain hadn't noticed, but he squinted ever since he got his vision back.

His eyes hurt, and some things were certainly blurry.  
He couldn't remember if they were blurry before.

Roy glanced at Riza. She held the bridge of her nose,  
hid, and stiffened so she wouldn't shake.

It was always the most painful when her face  
went just the slightest bit fuzzy.

It drove him _crazy.  
_ It was all _psychological_ , he told himself.  
His eyes were _fine._

Seemed Havoc was in the same boat.  
But, Rebecca wouldn't take that fate without a fight.

" _That_ is the _stupidest_ thing you have ever said, Jean Havoc."

She wouldn't settle for surrendering,  
simply because Havoc could lose his legs again.

That ridiculous red magic mystic stone of ultimate cosmic power,  
wouldn't decided who Rebecca Catalina should or shouldn't date.

Rebecca was always meant to be with Jean Havoc,  
for the rest of forever. And, that was just that.

"Rebe-"

She cut him off quick, grabbing his lapel  
and kissing him firmly, turned soft, turned sweet.

Then she ripped away and lifted a hand as she made her grand exit,  
purely in the style of Rebecca Catalina. "I'll be over at 8 with Xingese take-out."

The door slammed closed. Havoc stood frozen, red as a tomato.  
The General and the Captain stood just the same, jaws dropped.

"Well, that went," Riza said softly, " _well_ , I suppose."  
Roy snickered, " _Well_ , indeed." Riza sighed, relief.

"It's been long enough," Havoc grinned softly,  
after a long while, finally, full-heartedly believing it was true.

He was _finally_ going after his white picket fence woman.  
He was _finally_ going after Rebecca Catalina.

It had certainly been **long enough.**

* * *

So, how'd I do? Let me know **! Reviews, reviews, follows. I crave attention**. If you'd like to make a request of your own, catch me on tumblr myrhymesarepurer


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